Anti-sense expression of putrescine N-methyltransferase confirms defensive role of nicotine in Nicotiana sylvestris against Manduca sexta

TY - JOUR

T1 - Anti-sense expression of putrescine N-methyltransferase confirms defensive role of nicotine in Nicotiana sylvestris against Manduca sexta

AU - Voelckel, C.

AU - Krugel, T.

AU - Gase, K.

AU - Heidrich, N.

AU - Van Dam, N.M.

AU - Winz, R.

AU - Baldwin, I.T.

N1 - Reporting year: 2001 Metis note: 2849; CTE; MTI ; TE file:///L:/Endnotedatabases/NIOOPUB/pdfs/Pdfs2001/Voelckel_ea_2849.pdf

PY - 2001

Y1 - 2001

N2 - Several lines of evidence support the defensive function of nicotine production in the Nicotiana genus against a range of herbivores, but the evidence is largely correlative. To suppress nicotine production in planta and to test its defensive function, we expressed DNA of putrescine N-methyl transferase in an antisense orientation (AS-PMT) in N. sylvestris and fed leaf material from two lines of transformed and wild type plants to Manduca sexta larvae. Larvae consumed more leaf area and gained more mass on the foliage of plants with low PMT expression and low nicotine levels as compared to plants with high PMT expression and high nicotine levels and wild type plants. Overall, larval consumption and performance were negatively correlated with constitutive nicotine levels. We conclude that nicotine decreases the palatability of N. sylvestris leaves to the nicotine-resistant M. sexta larvae. [KEYWORDS: nicotine; defense; anti-sense expression; putrescine N-methyltransferase; Nicotiana sylvestris; Manduca sexta Allocation; herbivore; growth]

AB - Several lines of evidence support the defensive function of nicotine production in the Nicotiana genus against a range of herbivores, but the evidence is largely correlative. To suppress nicotine production in planta and to test its defensive function, we expressed DNA of putrescine N-methyl transferase in an antisense orientation (AS-PMT) in N. sylvestris and fed leaf material from two lines of transformed and wild type plants to Manduca sexta larvae. Larvae consumed more leaf area and gained more mass on the foliage of plants with low PMT expression and low nicotine levels as compared to plants with high PMT expression and high nicotine levels and wild type plants. Overall, larval consumption and performance were negatively correlated with constitutive nicotine levels. We conclude that nicotine decreases the palatability of N. sylvestris leaves to the nicotine-resistant M. sexta larvae. [KEYWORDS: nicotine; defense; anti-sense expression; putrescine N-methyltransferase; Nicotiana sylvestris; Manduca sexta Allocation; herbivore; growth]

U2 - 10.1007/PL00001841

DO - 10.1007/PL00001841

M3 - Article

SN - 0937-7409

VL - 11

SP - 121

EP - 126

JO - Chemoecology

JF - Chemoecology

IS - 3

ER -